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Swiftwater Rescue

Overview
Paddlers at all levels of whitewater are presented with the problems of rescue and recovery from time to time.  This course is designed to provide rescue skills and techniques useful to paddlers.  This course recognizes the limitations of the equipment normally carried, and the unique whitewater skills and knowledge boaters' poses.  Emphasis is placed on developing sound rescue philosophy, and a low tech, safe and simple approach.  This course is intended for anyone who spends time around moving water in any type of craft.

Date - TBA
This two day course will be conducted upon request at Vessels For Honor headquarters; Texas Creek CO.

Cost
The cost is $295.  A $100 non-refundable deposit is due when signing up, with the balance due two weeks prior to start.

What to Bring
We will be in the water frequently and it is cold.

You will need to bring camping gear if you wish to stay on our property.  You will need a bathing suit for wear under the wetsuit.  Bring personal water bottles, sunscreen, sunglasses, and any other personal items for around camp and off- hours.

Bring any appropriate gear you might already have i.e.; throw rope, two carabiners, one 10-15' length of 1" tubular webbing, two 5-7 mm prussic loops, river knife, whistle.  Don't forget personal items such as water bottle, sunscreen, etc.  The days are long and energy draining, so you might want to bring along extra snack foods and drinks.  Bring a notebook and pencil to take notes.  Bring paddling gear to cover any weather or water conditions.  The class will be held rain, shine or snow and we will spend a significant amount of time in the water.  Bring thermal protection such as wetsuits, booties, polypropylene, capilene, and dry suits if you have one.

Meals & Lodging
VFH will provide lunch for each day on the river.  Breakfast and Dinner may be purchased from the Texas Creek Cafe or you may prepare you own meals.

VFH offers free camping on the premises to participants during the course.  No flush toilets or shower facilities are available on site.  Other options such as nearby motels and campgrounds are available if desired.  Ask VFH for suggestions and phone numbers.

Daily Schedule
The day begins at 8:00 AM and will end at approximately 6 PM.

How to prepare for the course
Participants should be reasonably physically fit.  Raft guiding is a physically demanding and sometimes stressful activity.  Participants should be comfortable in water with moderate to strong swimming ability.

These are long days and we will be doing a lot of swimming and paddling.  The days are packed full with fun, learning and sharing.  Hope to see you there.

Participants should be aware of the inherent risks involved in raft guide training and be willing to assume personal responsibility of such risk.  Participants will be required to sign a waiver of liability and assumption of risk document.

Course Resources:
Whitewater Rescue Manual by Walbridge & Sundmacher

Course Certified by:
American Canoe Association

ACCIDENT COMMAND AND SCENE ORGANIZATION:
* Understand the need for and use of a simple form of incident command to organize a rescue scene. Legal considerations.

RESCUE EQUIPMENT:
* Understand how to select and maintain proper equipment for swiftwater rescue.
* Equipment - Clothing, Boats and Gear, Rescue Gear: Rescue PFD, Helmet, Knife & Whistle, First Aid Kit.

ROPE HANDLING SKILLS:
* Selecting a Rescue Line: Rope Materials & Construction, Static vs. dynamic rope, Breaking Strengths, Throw bag design and lengths, Webbing and Prusiks.
* Throw Bag Management:  Handling a rope in current, Avoid "Standing in the Loop", Stance & Throw - underhand, overhand, sidearm, Re-stuffing and carrying, Use of coiled lines.
* Positioning to pendulum a swimmer:  Setting up the throw, catching the line, Vectoring the line
* Belaying Skills:  Individual and Buddy Belays, Dynamic Belays

WADING:
* Be able to safely wade in swift moving water as an individual or in groups
* Individual with paddle, Group wading: Paired, Circle, Line & Wedge

SELF RESCUE AND SWIMMING:
* Be able to appropriately employ passive and aggressive swimming techniques.
* Have practiced passive and aggressive approaches to a strainer, pourovers and ledges.
* Understand the need for dealing with these hazards in an aggressive manner.

RESCUE OF LOOSE BOATS AND GEAR:
* Self Rescue: Swimmers should abandon gear in difficult rapids
* Chase people first, gear second - When manpower permits, split up the load one person helps the swimmer, another the boat, and the third the paddle
* Using "Snowplow boat bump" rescues.

KNOTS:
* Tie appropriate knots for use in swiftwater rescue and recovery.
* Types: Figure 8 family of knots, Water knot, Fisherman's knot, Bowline

UNPINNING BOATS/MECHANICAL ADVANAGE/ANCHORS
* Boat Pinning Mechanisms
* Strong Arm Releases
* Understand how to set up and use mechanical advantage.  Z - Drag, understanding the mechanism, Setting the anchor points, Safety considerations.
* The Vector pull
* Understand how to unpin a boat without having to use mechanical advantage systems.
* Be able to select appropriate anchors for mechanical systems, and understand how and when to use load distributing anchor systems.

CONTACT RESCUES/ADVANCED SWIMMING STRATEGIES:
* Understand how to make a swimming approach and tow a victim in the water. C-spine consideration.
* Crossing eddy lines

USING RESCUE PFD's
* How the swiftwater harness works, what causes harnesses to jam, makes and models, types of tethers.
* Rescue PFD skills:  Belaying shore-based personnel, self-belay, belaying swimmers, boat towing device, tired swimmer rescue, Straight and V - Lowers

LINE CROSSING
* Be able to use line-crossing techniques to enhance speed, safety and mobility.
* Ferrying a Line, The Vee and the Vector Pull, Use to support wading, Line assisted wading, The Zip Line

HYPOTHERMIA & COLD WATER NEAR DROWNING:
* Understand how hypothermia and cold water near drowning affect rescue options, and how to properly handle victims of these types of emergencies.

ENTRAPMENTS AND DAM RESCUES:
* Causes of entrapment:  Canoe & kayak outfitting
* Heads up vs. Heads Down situations
* Entrapment Rescue - Getting muscle to the scene, Support, then extricate, Using stabilization and snag lines, Foot entrapment rescues
* Understands the different techniques, which can be used to access and extricate an entrapment victim.

TOWING BOATS & FERRYING LINES
* Be able to safely tow boats
* Understand the various techniques to ferry line across the water.
* Boat based rescues